


Xenoblade Chronicles 2: Afterstories

by Lord_Reinhardt



Category: Xenoblade Chronicles 2 (Video Game)
Genre: F/M, One Shot Collection
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-03-23
Updated: 2019-04-23
Packaged: 2019-11-28 12:57:20
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 11,938
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18208625
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lord_Reinhardt/pseuds/Lord_Reinhardt
Summary: A collection of one-shots mostly centered around Rex, Pyra and Mythra taking place after the main game.





	1. Epilogue

Ever since her creation, the only things Pyra had known were self-loathing and fear. Her power as an Aegis and the memories of the destruction it was capable of, the things she inherited from Mythra haunted her every step. She hated the fact she was a danger to the world. When Addam proposed that she be sealed away, she readily agreed. She didn't even have to consult Mythra, knowing her sister's feelings towards herself and her power were identical to hers.

Her time asleep did nothing but reinforce her dark thoughts. She had Mythra to keep her company for a while, but the elder Aegis eventually sealed herself away, leaving Pyra alone in the dream of Elysium. The memory was beautiful; fields of green as far as the eye can see, a river of running water, all under a clear blue sky above. But at the same time, it was cold and lifeless, awful memories and the distant sound of the bell being the only things keeping the lone Aegis company.

There was only one thought on her mind throughout her time asleep; should they reawaken, find someone to take them to Elysium, then ask Father to let them die. It was the only fate something as dangerous to the world as an Aegis deserved.

Those times seemed so far away now.

She had been through so much, grown so much since then. Everything seemed brighter now. Yesterday night, she was even joining in with the merriment, not really caring how silly she looked. Maybe it was because she had been unreasonably happy as of late. That was probably what was causing her to do things she would normally never even  _consider_ doing.

Just like now.

Lying on the grass near the cliffs of Messet Point, Pyra relished in all the gifts the quiet early morning of Fonsett had to offer. The cool breeze blowing over smelled slightly of salt she often used in her dishes. The grass wet with morning dew tickled her skin as they danced to the rhythm of the wind. The sun's rays peeking over the horizon, blanketing her with just enough warmth to keep the chill away (not that she needed it).

There was no more sorrow or loneliness. Being out here, Pyra felt free,  _alive,_ and she owed all of this to the boy who became the most wonderful driver a girl like her could ask for.

"There are better places to take a nap than on the ground, you know."

Speak of the devil. The girl opened her eyes, her red meeting gold. There was Rex, standing over her, watching her amusedly. Pyra was too caught up with everything that she didn't hear him approach! Fighting down her embarrassment at being seen like this, she greeted him with a smile. Rex responded by smiling back and holding his hand out to her.

"Give me your hand." Pyra did as her driver requested, stretching her arm out slowly for her hand to meet his. When their hands met, Rex got ready to pull her up...

"Wah!"

...only for his blade to give his hand a hard tug, breaking his balance and sending him tumbling down to the ground! Rex, who had closed his eyes to brace himself for impact, was surprised to feel the ground was much softer than expected. When he opened his eyes, the boy found himself lying on his side and facing a giggling Pyra who was mirroring his position. Their faces were mere inches away from each other, her hands sandwiching both of his in the space between them, but there was no embarrassment.

After everything they've been through together, capped off by their moment yesterday upon Azurda's back, there was no need for it. Wanting to be this close to each other was natural.

"You look happy today," Rex commented when Pyra calmed down. He could feel his blade's giddiness slowly infecting him too, but wanted to get a few words out before he fully succumbed to it. "Any reason for that?"

"You're going to think it sounds silly." Pyra could feel more heat than usual creeping to her cheeks.

"I won't, I promise." Rex couldn't help the laugh that escaped his lips, finally giving in to the pleasant mood. "I'm just wondering what's got you all worked up this morning. You're not usually like this. Not that it's a bad thing!" He freed his right hand from Pyra's grip and reached to gently touch her cheek with the palm of his hand. "You have a pretty smile. You should use it more."

His compliment made Pyra smile wider. She closed her eyes and leaned into Rex's touch, taking a moment to enjoy the gesture before answering. "I guess... I'm just happy. I never thought I'd get the chance to just live without worrying about what my powers could do. Being out here, it all just hit me. It's really hard to describe."

"I think I get what you mean." Rex closed his eyes, letting mother nature's delights overwhelm his senses. He had seen Gramps and Auntie Corrine fondly recall memories during calm moments like this. He didn't really get it back then. Not only was he an energetic and impulsive kid, but thinking about it now, he didn't really have much to reflect on. Their adventure, everything they went through to get to this point, it gave him plenty to think back on during times like this.

And now, Pyra wasn't the only one reflecting.

Rex opened his eyes to stop his train of thought from going further. It really was nice here, it was easy to lose yourself to the mood and doze off. When his brain finally registered his blade laying across him, he found her watching him through half-lidded eyes, smiling. Realizing how he must have looked, he blushed but fought the urge to shy away.

"After everything you've been through, it's good you're happy now."

"Only because of you." The pleasant pink on Rex's face seemed to spread. When he was about to open his mouth, Pyra knew he was going to deny it and shook her head. "It's true, I'm only alive and happy because you believed in me. I only hope I can make you as happy as you've made me in return."

Rex visibly relaxed in response, face softening in affection. There it was, her true feelings, raw and untainted, bare for him to see. She had been like this twice before. The first time was on the Cliffs of Morytha when he became her and Mythra's true driver. The second time was yesterday, something nothing short of a miracle prompting her feelings to come out to which he responded in kind.

The third time, just like the last, there could only be one answer.

"You don't have to worry about that. You already do."

The two of them then fell into a comfortable silence, content to gaze into each other's eyes. Before they knew it, they found their faces instinctually leaning forward. Only a few more seconds and they would meet in the middle. Neither knew what they were doing, in fact neither of them knew much of the current situation at all. The one thing they did know, though, was that they wanted this. It would be okay, right? This was something else couples did after all.

They could feel the warmth of the other's breaths. Closing their eyes, they prepared themselves. Just a little closer...

"Really guys? Out here?"

Rex and Pyra suddenly jolted away from each other into a sitting position, embarrassed at suddenly having an audience. They looked up to see Mythra walking towards them, an annoyed pout on her face. Upon closer inspection, her clothes were a bit wrinkled and her hair was sticking up in places it normally wouldn't. While Rex started scratching the back of his head, Pyra's embarrassment turned into mild annoyance at her first kiss being interrupted.

"Mythra!" The younger Aegis pouted.

"What? If you want to do that, go somewhere where no one can see you." Mythra's mouth struggled to hide her smirk. She had a good idea as to why Pyra was making that face at her.

The red haired girl was about to start an argument, but a smiling Rex interrupted her. "Hey Pyra, does Mythra seem a little cranky to you?" Pyra gazed at him curiously, wondering where he was going with this. When he nodded his head and signaled towards Mythra, she got an idea. She decided she liked where this was going indeed.

Ignoring her sister's incoming denial, the girl answered back. "I think she is. She did just wake up after all. Should we help her?"

Mythra took a tentative step back when the couple turned their heads to direct their smiles at her. Those smiles promised something, and whatever it was, it wasn't going to be good for her. It was now a standoff between her, the helpless maiden, and them, the trolls sitting on the ground watching her. Seconds turned into tense minutes, each party waiting for the other to make the first move. All of a sudden, Rex's voice cut through the tense silence.

"I think we should!"

Mythra made an honest to Architect effort to run, she really did. But Rex and Pyra were like snakes, pouncing on their prey with lethal precision before she could get any more than two steps in. Before she knew it, their arms were around her and they were dragging her to the ground.

"Let me go! Knock it off you two!" Mythra screamed as she hit the ground.

Her only response was incessant giggling and her companions in unison chirping, "Nope!"

A few more seconds of weak struggling before Mythra finally relented, reciprocating the affection Rex and Pyra were showing her. Despite how she may have acted, she liked this. It reminded her that there were people who loved and accepted her whole self, attitude and everything. No one else was around, maybe it was okay to indulge.

Not that Mythra would admit any of that out loud. She wouldn't  _ever_  dream of admitting that to anyone but the two people within her arms.

When the excitement died down, the three of them sat side by side as they looked out beyond the cliffs of Messet Point. Watery blue as far as the eye can see. The sun peeking over the distance, its light making the water sparkle. Waves coming and going, dancing upon the seemingly infinite body of water. It awed the three of them. Who would've thought the Cloud Sea was hiding something like this all this time?

"This place is beautiful," Mythra commented softly, breaking the silence. "I can see why you two came here."

Rex hummed in agreement. "The view's so much better without the Cloud Sea." He then just realized Mythra, the person who throughout their journey would turn grumpy any time she had to get up early, was here watching the sunrise with him and Pyra. "You don't normally get up this early. What are you doing out here?"

Mythra turned her face away. "You and Pyra weren't in bed." Yes, the three of them shared a bed. With the only available room being Rex's old room, they didn't really have a choice but to share. Rex, being chivalrous, offered to take the floor while she and Pyra shared his bed. Of course, the two of them protested immediately, ending with Mythra literally dragging him to the bed followed by her and Pyra trapping their driver between them.

No, it wasn't because Mythra wanted to snuggle with Rex. She just didn't like taking charity, that's all.

Pyra leaned over and looked at Mythra. "So you were worried about us."

"I-I didn't say that!"

Rex and Pyra laughed at Mythra's embarrassment before turning their attention back to the cliffside view. The sun seemed higher up now than it was earlier, the sky and the ocean transitioning into a lighter shade of blue. Behind them, they could faintly hear a few greetings being exchanged along with the laughter of children getting ready to start whatever game they decided to play.

"Everyone's getting up." Mythra jumped to her feet, brushing off the grass that got stuck on her dress. "As nice as this is, we need to get moving. We promised Aunt Corrine we'd look after the kids today."

"Ah, that's right!" Pyra said, remembering their responsibilities for the day.

Rex got up and made a move to turn away, but something in the distance caught his eye. "You two go ahead. I'd like to stay here a while longer."

"Don't take too long." And with that, the twin Aegises left him alone. The salvager turned his attention back to the cliffs. Using his hand to shield his eyes from the sun, he stared at what had been his goal for virtually his whole life.

The World Tree.

The once proud structure now a shadow of its former self stood in the far distance, a reminder of the old Alrest. Rex guessed only a little over half of the space station remained intact, the rest destroyed for the sake of everyone by Pyra and Mythra. Alrest as a whole used to live near the World Tree, everyone acting under the watchful eye of the Architect. He supposed, in a way, the new world being so far away was part of Klaus trusting humanity to look after themselves. Like children deciding to fly the nest, their well-being were their own responsibilities now.

And Rex would make sure they flourished, now and far into the future. It was the purpose he chose for himself and what he declared to Jin and Malos before they passed on.

"Rex!"

Rex jumped up, disturbed from his thoughts. Mythra's voice brought him back to reality, making him realize that he'd spent too much time here.

"Coming!" Taking one last look with him, he turned away and walked down towards his new life ahead.

* * *

**Epilogue:**

**Life**


	2. Siblings

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mythra tries to be a good big sister for Pyra.

"Rex! Can you braid my hair like you used to?"

"Alright, alright! Calm down, I'll do it!"

Mythra watched as Rex laughingly lead an excited Kazuna to a nearby chair. He sat her down, and got to work. He took two thick strings of brown hair and tied them over each other, one knot at a time. There was a certain rhythm in the way her driver tied the child's hair. Very much akin to grass swaying back and forth, hair was interwoven over and under, over and under.

As the activity continued, the two foster siblings made casual conversation.

"Rex, can you tell me another story of your adventure?"

"You know you have to wait 'till bedtime for that, Kazuna."

This earned a pout from the eager young girl. "Why can't you tell me one now? Then you can tell me another one later at bedtime!"

"You're getting greedy," Rex admonished while shaking his head. "That's not fair for the others. You're getting one more story than them!"

Kazuna looked down, ashamed. "That's true..." They were all good kids, despite the few occassions when excitement overtook their thought process.

So that was how siblings acted around each other, Mythra observed. Rex seemed happy and willing to humour some of the child's more whimsical demands. Kazuna for her part was looking up at Rex with gleaming eyes, a look that Mythra could probably describe as adoration.

Being an older sibling was something both familiar and unfamiliar to Mythra. Her only references were Milton, somewhat like Rex and Kazuna's situation of being foster siblings, and Pyra, who was literally another personality of what used to be their whole self. Both were rather strange cases. Her relationship with Milton wasn't anything like Rex and Kazuna's. She swore sometimes that they were fighting more often than not. Heck, looking back at it now, she started to wonder who exactly the elder was. And then, there was how it all ended...

Mythra shook her head. She was past this. She wasn't going back into that all too familiar hole.

Then there was Pyra.

Mythra would be the first to admit that she hasn't exactly been the ideal older sibling for her. In fact, by most measures, she could be considered horrible. She created Pyra for the sole purpose of sealing her powers away and to have someone to push her responsibilities onto. She then proceeded to leave her sister to wallow in the darkness alone as she sealed herself away for nearly 500 years.

But she wasn't going to sulk over the mistakes of the past. If there was one thing she learned from her driver, it would be to live for the present. They weren't real siblings before, it was never too late to start. From now on, she'd be a good big sister and look after Pyra. Who knows, maybe one day, the two of them could have what Rex and Kazuna had; she'd coddle Pyra to which she would respond by looking up to her with that same look Kazuna gave Rex.

With those thoughts prevalent in her mind, Mythra went off to find her sister.

* * *

It didn't take too long to find Pyra.

Mythra found her in their shared room sitting in front of a mirror, and it looked like she was playing with her hair? From what she could see, the younger twin would occassionally grab a clump of her hair, raise it, and then drop it back down with a as Pyra was about to go for another round, Mythra decided to make her presence known.

"Hey, Pyra. What're you doing?" Mythra asked, grabbing Pyra's shoulder.

The ruby haired girl jumped up in surprise and turned around, "Mythra! Don't sneak up on me like that!"

"Sorry." That was just about the worst apology she had ever heard, but Pyra wasn't going to push. "Now what are you up to?"

Pyra turned back to face the mirror, fixing her hair that seemed to have been messed up due to her earlier ministrations. "I was thinking of trying a new hairstyle."

Mythra raised an eyebrow. This was new... "What did you have in mind?"

"I was thinking of a ponytail." Ah, so that was what this was about. "I think my hair's way too short, though."

"Hmm. I don't suppose Rex has anything to do with this, does he?"

"..." She could see Pyra blush through the mirror. Bullseye.

"Relax, nothing wrong with trying to look nice." Goodness knows she herself liked to indulge in a little vanity once in a while. "You know he'll think you're pretty no matter what, right?"

"I know. But variety never hurts." It was like with food, you could eat the best tasting dish in the world, but even that would eventually lose its lustre if it was the only thing you ate.

Mythra smiled. This was the perfect opportunity to try it out! "Then why don't I help with that? We can't really give you a ponytail, but we could try something else."

Pyra raised an eyebrow. Mythra seemed a little eager. "What do you have in mind?"

"Maybe we could try a braid!"

"Is my hair long enough for that?"

"It should be. I saw Rex doing it with Kazuna's hair a while ago."

Pyra looked at the mirror. She thought of what she would look like with a braid before nodding happily to Mythra. "Alright, let's do it!"

Mythra took a seat behind Pyra and got ready to get to work. She could do this. All she had to do was emulate Rex and the two of them would be having a nice family moment with each other in no time at all. The blonde took a few strands of her sister's red locks, taking note of how much they felt like her own. She then started to tie them together, then...

Wait, how was she supposed to do it again?

"Um, Mythra?" Pyra was starting to get nervous. She could feel her hair being tugged in all kinds of directions. Maybe she didn't exactly know what she was doing.

"Calm down, I've got this!"

The younger winced at the sharp pull of her hair. "Mythra, you're hurting me..."

"Hold still, I'm trying to get this to work." Mythra pulled more hair, hoping the knot would stay this time. This was so much harder than Rex made it look!

"Mythra!"

* * *

Okay, so that didn't go as planned. Braiding hair was a lot harder than she initially thought. But she wasn't going to give up so easily! She just needed to find something else the two of them can do together and bond over.

The next time she found Rex and Kazuna was at the gardens behind Corrine's house. Kazuna had a large metallic watering can, while Rex seemed to watch over her, using hand signals while giving instructions. The young girl seemed to struggle, shifting the angle at which she poured quite often.

"Don't put too much! You'll drown the flowers if you do."

Beads of sweat appeared on Kazuna's forehead as she shifted positions again. "I'm trying, but the watering can's really heavy!"

Rex's eyes softened as he moved his arm to take watering can. "I can water for a while and hand it back to you when it's lighter."

"No, I can do it!" Kazuna shifted the can away so Rex couldn't reach it. Mythra had to smile at that. Stubborn little girl. She wouldn't be surprised if she got that from Rex.

Rex raised his hands in surrender. "Okay, just wanted to see if you wanted help!"

From then on it was smooth sailing. Kazuna would be the one watering the flowers while Rex would watch on, occassionally telling her to move around so other flowers would get water. Even if it was a lot quiter than earlier, Mythra could tell through the smiles on their faces that they were enjoying this.

When the two were done, Kazuna set the watering can down. She and Rex then admired their handiwork. It did look pretty impressive at the very least, shiny water droplets resting upon petals of all kinds of colours.

"There we go. Flowers are nice and happy!"

"That's right!" Rex then crouched over the flower bed and picked a purple flower. He then stood up and leaned over to Kazuna, placing the flower behind her ear. "Here, a flower to make you prettier as a 'thank you' for taking care of them."

"I bet it looks nice." Kazuna adjusted the flower a little. She then turned to Rex, eyes shining hopefully. "Do you think I'll ever be as pretty as Pyra and Mythra?"

"That's... er... well..."

And that was her cue to leave. Mythra was not staying to hear Rex's fumbling for an answer to a question that had no right ones to give. Besides, if that kid wanted to be as pretty as her one day, she had a long way to go.

What? She worked hard to maintain her beauty. Damn right she was proud of it!

* * *

The next day, it was Pyra's turn to tend to the garden. Mythra decided to tag along with her. The younger Aegis sent her a questioning look, but accepted the company nonetheless.

"It's not your turn today." Pyra commented off-handedly as she pulled a few weeds out. "Why did you want to come with me?"

"I just wanted to spend time with you." Mythra could feel sweat going down her neck as she tugged hard on a particularly stubborn weed. This was easily the worst part of gardening in her opinion.

"That's sweet. But we already spend lots of time together, don't we?"

Mythra finally pulled the stubborn leech of a plant out. "Not alone."

"That's true." The two then fell into silence as they continued to work.

Mythra stopped to look at Pyra, hard at work pulling weeds herself. She was pretty cross with her for a while after her... failed attempt at bonding. Seriously, for someone who was normally so sweet, Pyra could really bite when prodded. It took a while, but through a combination of Mythra's apologies and some time with Rex, she eventually forgot about it.

This attempt wasn't going much better. Between when Mythra got the bright idea to emulate Rex and now, she completely forgot that Pyra wasn't a child (most of the time at least). As such, she didn't exactly need help in most of her gardening duties. Physically, Pyra was just as strong as she was. Anything she could do, her sister could do just as well (better in some cases in fact!).

Mythra would be lost if not for the final trick up her sleeve. She found a flower among all the others, its petals spiralling outwards from its centre. It was even a lovely crimson red, only a few shades darker than Pyra's hair. It would look nice on her, she decided.

Without putting much more thought into it, Mythra quickly picked the flower. In one swift motion, she hastily tucked the stem behind Pyra's ear.

The effect was immediate.

"Mythra!"

That tone meant nothing good. "W-what?"

"What did you do that for?!"

It was then the blonde Aegis caught sight of what exactly was bothering Pyra. Behind her ear, exactly where she put the flower, a trickle of blood was flowing out and down the back of her neck. It was then she realized exactly what she had done wrong.

"Whoops..."

How was she supposed to know that flower grew thorns?

* * *

"Ah, Rex! Is the meat supposed to be this dark?"

"Turn it quickly! You'll burn it if you don't!"

Nope. Mythra wasn't even going to try _._  Pyra was way better than she would  _ever_ be at doing  _that_.

* * *

"How do you do it?"

Rex looked up from the sink where he was washing the dishes used for their lunch. He blinked, staring at a sullen Mythra who was leaning her cheek against her hand, elbow propped up on the table.

"Excuse me?"

"How are you so good at being a big brother?" Mythra reiterated. "I've been trying to be a good big sister for Pyra, but I just keep messing up." As a side effect, she kept pissing her off too. Considering the kind of person Pyra was, that took talent, talent that only she and Rex seemed to possess.

Rex's eyes softened. "Is that what this whole week was about?"

Mythra sent him a questioning look in response. "What do you mean by that?"

Rex wiped his hands before taking a seat right across Mythra. "Pyra's been telling me how strangely you've been acting lately."

Mythra's face sank even further into her hand. Of course she noticed that. Pyra might not have been as perceptive as her, but she was still plenty observant in her own right.

"Hey," Rex called, making his blade look up at him. "Why don't you start at the beginning? Surely there's a reason you wanted to do this?"

"Well," Mythra sat upright, placing her hands on her lap. "It's just... I saw you and Kazuna. I saw the stuff you two did together and it kinda just reminded me of how bad of a big sister I was." She wringed her hands together, guilt clear on the frown on her face. "I wanted to fix that. I wanted what you and Kazuna had together. I wanted to look after Pyra the same way you do for Kazuna, maybe even have Pyra look at me the same way Kazuna does at you. I thought if I just did what you did..,"

Rex smiled sadly at the girl across him. As much as Mythra liked to hide what she was truly feeling, there were times like this where her true self would come spilling out like water roaring through a crumbling dam. It made him grateful that when she did open up, she chose to do so to him.

All the more reason for him to respond the right way.

"I think Kazuna's just excited I've been around for longer than a day," Rex chuckled. "I'm pretty sure she can do half the stuff she asks me to help her with herself."

"So you're saying she just missed you?"

"Something like that." Rex then calmed down, giving Mythra a serious look. "In all seriousness, I don't think you and Pyra could have what Kazuna and I have." At the falling of her face, the teenage salvager hastily added, "But that's not a bad thing! That just means you can have something different, something only you and Pyra have."

"Something... different?"

Rex nodded in confirmation. "You'd interact differently with, say... Morag than you would with Zeke even though they're both your friends, right?" Mythra nodded cautiously. Of course she would, Morag was strict and disciplined while Zeke acted like an idiot more times than not. "Well, it's kind of the same with relationships. Different people will have different relationships with each other because they're, well, different. You're not me and Pyra's not Kazuna, so your relationship with her won't ever be exactly like mine with Kazuna."

"So I can't really use the two of you as an example, then." Mythra frowned. "But then how do I know what to look for?"

"Honestly, when you find it, I think you'll just know." The blonde scoffed. That was the most non-answer Rex had ever given her. Rex saw this and quickly explained. "Just spend time with Pyra in a way that both of you would be comfortable with. Be yourself, act naturally, and it'll all fall into place, I promise."

Mythra looked down at the table, contemplative wrinkles upon her forehead. Was it really that easy? It seemed too simple to be true, but thinking about how Rex interacted with Kazuna, there was never a moment where she could say he wasn't himself.

Maybe he was right. Maybe she was overthinking this.

"Since when were you so wise?" Mythra smiled at her driver. But she knew deep down inside Rex was a lot more observant than people gave him credit for, even if his occassional antics made that difficult to see.

Rex scratched the back of his head in embarrassment. "I do talk to a lot of people. I should know these kinds of things!" He then made a move to get up and finish washing the dishes. "Just think about what I said, okay?"

* * *

Her opportunity would come only a mere thirty minutes after their talk. Mythra and Rex found Pyra reading a book within the cool embrace of the shadows cast by the tree she was resting her back against. The elder Aegis felt Rex's hand on her shoulder. He gave her a smile and a nod before quietly walking away. She turned towards Pyra, took a deep breath, and moved to approach her.

The rustling of grass alerted Pyra to her presence. She looked up from her book and shot Mythra a smile. "Hello, Mythra. How was your talk with Rex?"

"It went well..." Mythra wondered if Pyra could detect the nerves in her voice. She certainly did her best at hiding them.

"Oh, that's good. What did you two to talk about?"

"J-just something I needed help with. Nothing too big." Pyra definitely heard the nerves this time, Mythra was sure of it. This was confirmed when her sister's eyes softened in concern for her.

"Are you okay? You sound a little tense."

Mythra swallowed before speaking this time. "It's nothing, honest." She then eyed the spot beside Pyra. "Mind if I join you?"

The younger girl reponded by patting the spot beside her. "Not at all."

Mythra crouched down slowly before letting herself fall to the ground entirely. She alternated between staring at the ground and staring at Pyra as the two of them sat together in silence. Despite Rex's words, this was difficult. The pressure was like a hand around her throat, suffocating and refusing to let go. She'd messed up so many times now, she didn't want to do so again.

"I can practically feel your tension, you know." There was Pyra's concerned look again, but underneath her concern was a hint of stubborness. Mythra knew she'd push if this went on for any longer. "Why are you so nervous? Is it me?"

"Yes! No! I-" Mythra took another deep breath. This wasn't going well at all. It was then she decided that maybe it was best to just be upfront about this. "I'm sorry... for how I've been acting the whole week I mean."

"It's alright. I'm not mad." Pyra then thought for a moment before adding, "At least, not anymore. Though, I'd like to know why you started acting this way."

"That's actually what I talked to Rex about. I'd like to keep that to myself, if that's okay."

Pyra smiled reassuringly. "Of course it is!"

Mythra couldn't help but smile in response. It was so much easier to talk after the initial hurdle, it seemed. She noticed something else; this was easily the best talk she had with Pyra all week. They weren't even doing anything too special!

It was then Mythra realized the conversation was one-sided so far. She noticed the visual design on the cover of Pyra's book and raised an eyebrow in interest. "'Love Beyond the Clouds'? What's it about?"

Pyra's eyes lit up in childish glee. She shifted around, leaning over so Mythra could read the book's eloquent writing. "Oh it's about..."

And as her sister happily babbled on about the story that had captured her attention, along with her sharing her own thoughts once in a while, Mythra couldn't help the swell of accomplishment welling up in her chest. Maybe this was that 'something' for her and Pyra. It wasn't anything like what Rex and Kazuna had, but she had to admit, it felt nice all the same.

She didn't need to look after Pyra and Pyra didn't have to look up to her. They were smiling, laughing, sharing, just having a good time with each other.

And in a good sibling relationship, maybe that was all that mattered.


	3. Our Little Rex

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> What was supposed to be a quick job taking care of bandits turns into so much more for Rex.

"Here it is."

Rex, Pyra, and Mythra watched what seemed to be the bandit hideout they have been looking for from the cliffs surrounding said hideout. From afar, it actually looked a little bit like a small village; a few stone-walled houses surrounded by a circular wall allowing only one entrance to the hideout. A few people were roaming the area, either axes or swords attached to their hips.

Rex had to frown at the sight. To think, bandits, here in Leftheria. Perhaps something like this was another byproduct of the scarcity of resources in the archipelago. He hated to think of what would have happened should the hideout have been closer to Fonsett.

"Think these are the guys that attacked the Ardainian soldiers?" Pyra asked, observing the scene below.

Rex nodded in response. "Morag said they were attacked around here. I don't think there's any doubt."

Following the fall of the World Tree, all of the titans drifted towards New Elysium (as everyone called it) and came to rest on its shores. All except for the titans of the Leftherian Archipelago, that is. Instead, the main titan had parked close to the giant landmass that was New Elysium, a fair bit of ocean still separating the two islands, and the smaller titans still roamed about the general area around the main titan.

Leftheria being closer to everyone else was a good thing on the whole. Trade was a whole lot easier now, lowering prices on imported goods. It also allowed other nations like Mor Ardain to scout for land in the untouched parts of the archipelago. But it was exactly because of that that Rex, Pyra, and Mythra were here today.

Morag had contacted Rex yesterday morning, reporting that an Ardanian camp that was set up on one of the far off titans of Leftheria had been attacked. It was an ambush in the night, she had wrote, a few casualties along with a lot of stolen equipment, some of that equipment being weapons. Rex immediately sprung into action after reading the letter, readying himself for a trip to the other side of the archipelago.

"The quicker we get this done, the better," Rex said resolutely. The last thing he wanted was the bandits using the weapons to spread discord to any nearby settlements, maybe eventually reaching Fonsett. Better to nip this in the bud right now. "I'd say we could get this done in around... ten minutes? We might be a little rusty, though."

"You're giving these guys  _way_ too much credit." Mythra frowned as she continued to analyze the bandit hideout. She then looked towards her two companions. "They're just a bunch of lowlifes. I don't care how out of practice we are, five minutes at most."

"Now Mythra, no getting overconfident," Pyra chided. When Mythra's intensity died down a little and her expression mirrored that of a scolded child, the corners of Pyra's mouth twitched upwards, no longer able to contain her smile. "Though I  _might_ have time to make some cookies when we get home if we finish in three minutes."

Mythra and Rex looked at each other, nodding to each other in understanding. No way they were turning Pyra's cookies down. Rex then turned to Pyra and smiled.

"Three minutes it is, then."

* * *

It took two and a half.

"I think that's last of them," Rex said, tying up the last of the unconscious bandits with some rope.

Mythra gave a light kick to one of their fallen adversaries. "I'm a bit disappointed to be honest. Didn't these guys beat a bunch of  _trained_ Ardainian soldiers? Wait 'till Morag hears about this."

"They got ambushed, I don't think we can really blame them." Pyra then thought back to their own experiences before adding, "But then again, these are the same guys who spent more time telling us not to forget them than actually trying to beat us."

Rex smiled and shook his head before looking around the now former bandit hideout. Truth be told, he had been feeling strange ever since they had arrived here. It was easy to ignore it when fighting bandits took precedence, but with their battles over, the feeling returned full force. He placed his hand over his chest, looking down as he thought about it.

It was an odd feeling. It seemed like a mixture of happiness and sadness upon walking through the hideout entrance. Rex could even pinpoint a bit of wistful longing somewhere underneath it all. When taken as a whole, it was a bittersweet feeling, melancholy even. But if that was the case, then why here of all places?

"Rex?"

Rex turned towards thd direction of the voice. He was met with the sight of Pyra frowning at him, her face scrunched up in concern. He smiled back at her and waved her concerns away. "I'm fine. I'm just feeling a little weird."

The next thing he knew, Pyra had the back of her hand against his forehead. "Are you sick? It doesn't look like it, but if you are..."

"I'm fine, Pyra. I'm not sick or anything!" Rex patted her hand as a way to calm her down a little. Leave it to Pyra to be sensitive of his mood and start worrying herself over it. He supposed the two of them were the same in that regard. "I dunno, there's just something about this place. It's making me feel a bit queasy, but it really isn't a big deal."

"See? I told you Rex wasn't sick. He just spaces out sometimes," Mythra said while putting a hand on her hip.

"H-hey! And what do you mean by that?!" Rex huffed.

"What do you think?" Before Rex could retort, Mythra cut him off, seeing that he had snapped out of whatever had a hold of him. "Back to business, we should get to work getting a hold of the stolen goods."

"You're right. These kinds of things shouldn't be around longer than necessary." Rex then turned back to the hideout. "Lots of houses to look through, though. We should split up. We can cover more ground that way and get home sooner."

When Mythra nodded in agreement, Pyra smiled playfully. "You two just want to get home quickly so I could make those cookies for you."

"Could you blame us? Anything you make is great!" Rex replied. The sheer sincerity of his words along with the bright smile on the boy's face was enough to force a light blush onto Pyra's face. Sometimes, she still felt like that girl at the very beginning of their adventure who instinctively gravitated to her new driver's warm, inviting demeanor.

"Thanks, Rex."

A loud clap from Mythra interrupted the two of them before they could go any further. "Focus! Work now, flirt later."

"We weren't-"

"Yes you were. Come on, we've got military equipment to find!" Rex and Pyra watched as the third member of their little family walked away and into one of the many houses. The younger Aegis switched between looking around the hideout and looking at her driver, still worried and not exactly willing to leave him alone just yet.

Rex noticed this and smiled reassuringly. "I'm fine, Pyra. You worry too much."

Pyra frowned in response. "Considering the kind of person you are, I think I don't worry enough." She then backed down, trusting Rex's self-assessment. "But if you're sure..."

Rex nodded. "Yeah, I'm sure. Go on now."

Pyra moved to walk away, but before did she paused midstep. She turned around, brought her lips to Rex's cheek, and placed a light kiss onto it. She pulled away as quickly as she had approached, scurrying off before Rex could say anything, leaving him staring wide-eyed at her retreating form with his hand on his cheek.

Rex knew he shouldn't be fussing about something as simple and earnestly innocent as a peck on the cheek. They had done things way higher up the relationship scale (for example, sharing a bed) and hadn't really thought twice about it. Something like this should have been  _nothing._

And yet, the tingling warmth on his cheek teased his imagination, made him fantasize what one on the lips would feel like. It was enough to make him forget about his growing unease, if only for just a few moments.

* * *

A few minutes of searching later and Rex found himself standing in front of one particular house.

It was just like all the others; stone walls, broken windows, and dark green moss crawling all over. But despite that, there was something special about it. The feeling in his chest seemed to be much stronger here. It was eating away at him, rotting from the inside. He had a small idea now on what the feeling was.

Walking through the village, the dirt path between small fields of grass, and even the houses, it all brought Rex an odd sense of deja vu. If not for this house in particular, he would be willing to chalk it up to this place reminding him of Fonsett Village. It did look like a village turned bandit hideout, and if that was the case, of course the structures would share similarities with Fonsett, the first settlement on Leftheria according to Gramps.

Rex decided the only way to ease his feelings would be to enter and take a look around. While there was a sense of foreboding and anxiety at what he would find, he couldn't deny the curiosity at what exactly it was about the house that evoked such strong emotions from within him. He took a deep breath and walked up to the front door. He opened the battered and bruised door and walked inside.

The house looked even worse on the inside. A few couches in what used to be a living room were ripped open, white cotton bursting out of the holes. The walls were covered in holes big and small and in all shapes and sizes. The floor was covered in muddy footprints along with what looked like dried blood.

Walking through, he found that the house had three main bedrooms. One looked like a guest room from the fact it had a single size bed just as worn out as the couches in the living room. Another room looked like a master bedroom with its king size bed along with a few wooden closets and drawers, all with their doors wide open and their bodies empty. The place was no doubt ransacked by the bandits he Pyra and Mythra just defeated.

But the third room was the most interesting of all.

The first thing that caught Rex's attention was how the room was in a much better state than all the others. The window and curtains were still intact. The wall, which was covered with a wallpaper with a teddy bear pattern with a white background, was still completely whole. There was even a bookshelf in the corner which had all the books standing neatly against each other in a line. The bandits must have thought there was nothing of value in this room.

And it was easy to see why. One look around and it was clear to him what this room really was; a child's room, and a very young child at that.

Baby toys such as colorful blocks with letters printed on them were scattered all over the floor. The books on the shelf were mostly dyed in bright shades of red, blue, yellow and green with large letters on their spines coloured to contrast against their respective backgrounds. What really caught his attention, though, was the single white crib that stood in the center of the room.

It triggered something from within, his body moving on its own, subconsciously approaching the crib. He reached out, his fingers curling around the railings with seemingly practiced ease. He ran his hand across, feeling the course, grainy wood beneath his palm while wiping the accumulated dust away. It was then that Rex found it, the reason why this place unnerved him so much.

This village, this house, this room, it was all familiar to him, or at least his body. From walking around this place to something as simple as holding onto the railings of this crib, it was like his body knew something here that his brain did not.

Rex let go of the crib, more determined to gind answers than ever. With nowhere else to look, he turned his attention to the only other object of interest; the bookshelf in the corner. Upon closer inspection, one of the books stood out like a sore thumb. It was at least twice as large as the others and its spine was devoid of the colorful letters that decorated the spines of the other books. It seemed to call to him, singing so very sweetly. Unable to resist, he pulled it out.

He found that the book weighed quite a bit, probably mostly due to it being paperback. Its back was just like the spine, pure white in colour and completely blank. Its front cover would have been the same, but a piece of paper was taped onto it, the title of the book scribbled messily on the paper. With eyebrows furrowed, Rex slowly read it out loud to himself as if tasting each and every word.

"Our... Little... Rex..."

His name. That was his name written on the front page of the book. A part of him yelled at him not to open the book, that he wouldn't like what lied within. And in a way, he knew this to be true. But he also had a feeling that the book's pages would answer all of his questions about this place. Anxious, his hands moved to open the book.

The first page was covered in pictures big and small, all in colour. The largest and most prominent one featured a woman and an infant in bed. The woman was sitting up against the headboard and was draped in a blanket from the waist down. Her long, midnight black hair was frazzled, sticking out in all kinds of directions and her golden eyes were watching down lovingly at the sleeping child in her arms.

The picture brought a feeling Rex had thought been long been long buried. He recognized it, remembering the last time he felt this way being one of his first days in Fonsett. The last time he felt this way was when he stood and watched Auntie Corrine and the others lay his parents to rest in Oratory Knoll. It was a sad feeling, but not really knowing why. But if that was the case, then this woman...

Rex shook his head. The baby in the picture could be anyone. He wasn't naive enough to believe he was the only one in Alrest named 'Rex', heck he might not even be the only 'Rex' in Leftheria. Flipping through the pages, the boy noticed that the woman was featured very prominently with the child. Occassionally, a man with spiky brown hair was there with the child instead.

There was a running theme with all the pictures too; everyone was happy. The situations varied greatly from the baby walking up to his mother to something more trivial like sharing a meal. But the one constant between them were the bright smiles on each and every face. It sent a wave of longing rippling through his chest.

Rex pushed on, stopping at a page with a picture of the child who was obviously older. The face that greeted him made him recoil in shock and he nearly dropped the book. The picture featured the child alone smiling up at the camera. His face was chubby with baby fat, as was the case with all children. But he recognized that combination of golden eyes and spiky brown hair anywhere.

"I-it's..." The teenage salvager looked up and faced the window, his reflection staring right back at him. Spiky brown hair and golden eyes, just like the child, 'Rex', in the photos, just a little older and conveying sorrow rather than joy.

"It can't be..." His brain shut down, his body going on autopilot. Hands shaking, Rex rifled through the next few pages. It was all the same. Every single one the child, 'Rex',  _him,_ smiling happily with the man and the woman,  _mum and dad,_  smiling along with him. Just from the way they looked at the boy, Rex could tell that they were the quintessential example of parents who loved their child.  _Mum and Dad loved him. So many happy memories, and he didn't remember._ The painful longing in his chest grew stronger.

And if this really was his family, then those bandits, they...

All of a sudden, the pictures stopped altogether, the following pages showing nothing but blank white. And yet, there was little more than three-quarters of the book to go.  _Mum and Dad wanted so much more time with him than fate had allowed._

Was this the life that was cruelly robbed from him all those years ago? If fate had been kinder, was this the life he could have lived? He looked so very happy in the photos, his parents just as happy as he was. They were all smiles, unaware of their inexorable fate.

"Rex?"

A hand took his shoulder from behind. Acting on instinct, Rex jumped away from the presence behind him, hands travelling to Pyra's weapon attached to his back. But before he could brandish the sword, another hand seized his other shoulder, holding him in place.

"Calm down Rex, it's me!"

That voice, that beautiful face with eyes concerned just for him. He knew her all too well. "Pyra..." Behind her he could see Mythra as well, hands over her core crystal and eyes just as worried as her sister's. "What are you two doing here?"

"We finished. You were taking too long, so we came to find you."Pyra lifted one of her hands off of his shoulders, bringing it to his face. Using her thumb, she gently stroked her driver's face, as if wiping something away. "What's wrong, Rex?"

Rex smiled. "Nothing's wrong, I'm peachy" That was about the worst 'I'm fine' voice he could have mustered up. It was broken, akin to a croak really. He didn't like lying to her, but she deserved better than his troubles.

Pyra frowned. It was obvious she knew. "Then why are you crying?"

He was crying? Now that he thought about it, Rex could feel wetness with his face against Pyra's palm and the stinging in his eyes. He  _was_ crying. He knew now he couldn't hide it. Pyra was stubborn when it came to helping people close to her, him especially. She'll push if necessary. After a few more seconds of contemplation Rex wordlessly held the book out towards her.

"What's this?" Pyra asked as she took the book out of his hands. Mythra shifted over to get a better view of the book. Rex watched as her face, eyes widening as she slowly came to a realization as she read the title. "Rex, is this..."

"Open it."

Pyra and Mythra silently scanned through the pages. They saw everything Rex saw; him, his parents, the smiles, the happy memories long forgotten. They were smart, he knew they'd piece everything together from the book alone. He would be proven right when they finished, Pyra directing her eyes to the floor with Mythra joining her for a while before handing the book back to him.

"Who would've thought you'd stumble upon something like this?" Mythra remembered from Pyra's memories about Aunt Corrine saying something similar way back then. Maybe Rex's foster mother was right. "You miss them, don't you. Your parents, I mean."

It wasn't a question. She was right and the three of them knew it. Rex gave a strangled laugh. "To be honest, a part of me doesn't know why I'm crying. I don't even know if these people really are my parents! But..." He brought the book up to his chest, hugging it close. He didn't know why he was still trying to deny it. Everything was pointing only to one conclusion. "This place is so familiar to me and I don't know why. This book explains way too much. I don't know what to feel, to be honest."

Pyra looked at her boyfriend. She could tell he was confused about the whole thing. As much as it hurt her, there was only one thing she could do for him now. "Do you need some time alone to sort everything out?"

The boy thought about it before nodding. "Yeah, I think I'd like that. Thanks Pyra."

The red haired girl turned to leave. When she saw that Mythra made no move to do so, she placed her hand over her sister's shoulder to get her attention. The blonde girl gave Pyra an incredulous look, silently arguing with her. Pyra shook her head, her grip tightening ever so slightly. They wordlessly argued for a few more seconds before Mythra finally relented, trusting Pyra and following her outside.

Rex didn't watch them leave, his eyes firmly fixed to the floor. He could hear their footsteps, their echoes dying out and giving way to silence. He was alone now. The isolation was strangely comforting. No one was around to see him, it was okay to let it all out. So he let the tears flow freely down his face, and for the first time in almost fifteen years, cried for the parents he never had the opportunity to know.

"Mum... Dad..."

* * *

"I hate this."

Pyra and Mythra stood in front of the door of the house, nervously waiting for Rex to come out. Pyra had her eyes closed and her hands clasped over her chest in prayer, hoping Rex would be okay. Mythra watched the door in frustration, an all too familiar feeling of helplessness and self-loathing brimming to the surface.

"We should be in there helping him through this." Mythra's fists clenched tight at her sides. It took every bit of self control she had to stop herself from barging back in.

Pyra opened her eyes and turned her gaze to her sister. "You saw Rex, he was confused. He needs this. All we can do is trust that he'll open up to us when he's ready."

Mythra turned away. Pyra was right and even she knew it. She hated it when Pyra was right. Looking around the hideout, her gaze landed on the bandits the three of them had defeated earlier. Another emotion, wrath this time, overcame her. "Those bandits, they did... that to Rex's parents didn't they?" They were helpless, it wouldn't take much to end them. They'd deserve it too.

Pyra followed the blonde girl's gaze, immediately catching on to her train of thought. "No Mythra, Rex wouldn't want that!"

"I know!" Mythra relaxed her hands, finally calming down. She spoke again, much quieter this time. "I know. I just want to do something, anything to make things better." She hated it when her power was used to kill, but she'd forsake every single one of her morals to keep her family safe and happy.

"I know how you feel." Above all else, Pyra wanted to make Rex happy. She didn't need their resonance to feel his sorrow. It tore her apart, and all she wanted to do was to put that ever-present smile back on his face. There was a small voice she at the back of her head telling her that she was failing him, and it hurt. She never truly acknowledged it though, knowing the last thing Rex would want was her beating herself up for some thing she couldn't control.

A high pitched creak sounded from behind Pyra and Mythra, grabbing their attention. Turning around, they were greeted by the sight of Rex holding the book against his chest with one hand, the other rubbing the back of his head. The twin Aegises quickly approached him. "Rex!"

The salvager met their gazes with apolagetic eyes. "Sorry for keeping you guys waiting."

Pyra shook her head. "We don't mind." She then reached out and placed her hand over his, resting it against the book. "How are you feeling?"

Rex looked down at their hands, gathering his thoughts. It was hard to put how he felt right now into words, but he'll try his best anyways. "I think... I feel both happy and sad at the same time, if that makes any sense." His face scrunched up as he struggled to express himself. "I'm glad I found this. I mean, at least I know what mum and dad look like now. But I," His grip on the book tightened ever so slightly. This would be the very first time he would admit this to anyone. "I miss them. It was easy to not think about it before without any sort of connection to them."

Both Pyra and Mythra looked down. Aunt Corrine was right. Buried underneath all that strength and optimism was a boy missing his most essential bonds. To smile in the face of despair, they didn't know how he did it.

"Hey," The boy called out, directing his blades' attention back to him. "Is it weird to never know something and miss it anyway? I never knew my parents, it doesn't make sense I'd be this sad over them."

A third hand came to rest on the book atop Pyra's and Rex's. Mythra smiled when her two companions turned their heads to look at her. "I remember the way Addam would light up any time he saw his pregnant wife. He acted like even more of an idiot than he usually did, talking to her belly as if the kid inside could hear him. He hadn't even met his baby, but he was excited to do so anyways." She looked directly at Rex. "I won't pretend to know how you feel, but I think that no matter what, a parent connects with their child one way or another. I think you missing your parents is perfectly natural."

Rex smiled back at the blonde haired girl. "Thanks, Mythra."

Pyra looked down at the book. She felt something at that very moment; empathy, longing for something that could have been for the sake of someone she loved. "You would've had a nice life with them."

"Maybe," Rex conceded. He wasn't going to deny the fact it had crossed his mind. "But I think I would've liked this life more anyway."

"You would?" Pyra turned to her boyfriend in surprise. "But why? You've suffered through so much! Don't you miss your parents?"

"I do miss my parents." Rex smiled a complete, honest smile at Pyra. "But I thought a lot about this while I was alone. A lot of bad stuff  _has_ happened, but a lot of awesome stuff happened too. I went on an adventure to save the world, met the Architect, became the person I am today." He turned his head so both girls would be in his line of sight. "And most importantly, I met you two, and everyone else."

The girls placed their free hands on their chests. "Rex..."

Rex turned his gaze back to Pyra. "Remember when you told Klaus how despite everything you went through, you were thankful because you met me and everyone else?" She did remember. It was the closest thing to a father-daughter moment she ever had. "Well, I feel the same way! Even if I do miss my parents, I wouldn't trade any of this for the world!"

Pyra and Mythra had to smile, even blush a little, at their driver's declaration. His voice was so strong, borderline shouting actually, and carried his words from the very bottom of his impossibly large heart. This moment right now, it filled their own hearts with gratitude for having met him. A few minutes of comfortable silence reigned before Rex eventually broke apart from the group.

"We still need to return the weapons to Mor Ardain." Rex then turned his attention to the bandits. "We should probably deliver these guys to them too. Leftheria doesn't exactly have a proper legal justice system." He made a small note at the back of his head to have that changed soon. "Then we could go home and eat cookies that Pyra owes us."

Pyra giggled in response, her hand finding his free one. "Still thinking about that, huh?" She then glanced at the book once again. "While we're in Mor Ardain, maybe we could buy ourselves a camera!"

Mythra walked up to the two of them, her face frowning in confusion. "Why a camera?"

When Rex shot her a questioning look as well, Pyra elaborated, "Well, I was thinking we could fill the book up with our own pictures, complete the photo album for your parents."

"I think that's a great idea!" Rex's eyes shined at the thought of the possibilities. "And, it'll be like sharing a bit of our lives with them." He then looked disdainfully at the title on the cover. "Though, if we're going to do this, we need to change the title."

Mythra smiled mockingly. "What's wrong with the title? I think it's  _adorable_."

"It's juvenile! I'm not a kid anymore!"

Pyra pulled Rex closer to herself, completely oblivious to Mythra's sarcasm. "I agree with Mythra, you know. It's cute, we should keep it!"

"Well..." Just one look at Pyra's smiling face and she had him. Rex mentally kicked himself for letting this happen. "Fine, we can keep it. But we still need to add you two to the title seeing as you two are getting involved."

Mythra laughed. "Pyra has you so whipped."

"She does not!"

"Yeah! Why would I whip Rex anyway? I don't want to hurt him!"

"Pyra, that's not what Mythra meant..."

And so their banter continued, even as they returned to their work. A new goal settled into their heads amongst all their other goals. They will finish the photo album, fill it to the brim with shared smiles featuring the three of them. And when it was complete, it would be the best collection of pictures in the world.

Rex's parents deserved that much.

* * *

_He had lost count of how long they had been running. He didn't think they were being followed, but better safe than sorry. Every part of his body screamed at him to stop, to take a break, to heal his wounds, but he forced himself to keep going. He didn't know where they were, but he and his wife had to find someplace safe soon, another settlement hopefully. If they died out here in the wilds, there was no telling what would happen to their son._

_He clutched the gaping wound in his stomach as he ran unsteadily. His eyes were beginning to blur, barely keeping focus on his wife as he ran ahead of him. Before he knew it, his legs gave way to exhaustion, sending him tumbling to the ground. Even his hearing was fading, barely catching his wife calling his name. He'd lost too much blood and he knew it. He crawled to a nearby tree, pulling himself into a seating position, leaning against the tree._

_He watched her approach. He knew she had been pushing herself just as hard as he was. Neither of them had eaten anything all day, giving what little they could find to their son. All day, it had been non-stop running for them, desperately trying to find a safe haven. She wasn't as badly wounded as he was, but the effects of their struggle still showed. But despite that, she was still beautiful to him._

_She held out her hand, but he shook his head in denial. "I'll just slow you down." His voice was strangled, barely above a whisper. When she spoke, her voice was raspy from undying thirst._

_"I'm not leaving without you!"_

_"You have to. We can't leave him alone out here to fend for himself."_

_She flinched and took a step back, knowing he was right. "I can't just leave you here..."_

_"Yes you can, because you'll be doing it for Rex." He turned his gaze to his son, bundled up in blankets, sleeping, blissfully unaware of the turmoil around him. He preffered to keep it that way. He turned his gaze back to his wife, doing his best to send her a pleading look._

_"Please, just go. Do it for him."_

_She wasn't moving. Tears were welling up in her golden eyes. For a while, he thought she wasn't going to leave, but she eventually closed her eyes, stood up, and ran away. He stared at her retreating form, giving her and his son a silent apology. It was all he could do now._

_His head fell limply to his shoulder, his neck unable to support his head. His injuries, the exhaustion, it was all catching up to him. He can't ignore them anymore._

_Giving in, he finally closed his eyes._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I finally had enough of messing around with Joker in Smash and got around to finishing this story (which turned out to be way longer than I thought it would be). This story was also pretty tough to write, I hope it turned out okay.
> 
> I've always had this headcanon where there are other settlements in Leftheria, we just never visit them in-game (kinda like with the kids in chapter 4) and Rex and his parents came from one of them.


	4. Touch

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Pyra loved it whenever she and Rex touched.

Pyra loved it whenever she and Rex touched. She had always loved it, even way back when they were still getting to know each other not only as driver and blade, but as people as well.

Their resonance was the very first thing that attracted her to him, or rather the difference between it and her previous resonance with Addam. Her first resonance was filled with pity, pity for her, along with underlying hints of mistrust and fear (She hadn't known him very long, but from Mythra's memories, she could understand why). Her new resonance was warm, inviting, and friendly. The way they contrasted, it was night and day. It was enough to grab her attention. Intent on sating her curiosity, Pyra tried to initiate physical contact as soon as she could.

And when they held hands for the first time, she immediately knew she liked it. There was a pleasant warmth, one that Pyra could have only dreamed of prior. She could also feel their connection deepen as they touched, like everything she felt through their resonance was amplified tenfold! After that, she'd tried to find convenient excuses to touch him as often as she could, usually coming in the form of dressing his wounds (this also came with the added bonus of Rex touching her when he insisted on repaying her).

Of course, while Pyra had absolutely no qualms about physical contact, Rex would consistently act adorably awkward whenever they touched back then. She found it cute, just another reason to touch him as far as she was concerned.

But those, as nice as they were, paled in comparison to the most important reason their touch was so important to her. That very same touch had also saved her and Mythra.

Right at their lowest points, right when Malos had taken everything and left them with nothing, Rex's frantic voice pleading with them not to give up was a ray of light shining through the darkness. They showed him their true self and asked him if he still wanted it. Accepting, he held his hands to them, Pyra and Mythra giving their whole self to him as they touched.

And from there, the rest was history. 

Since then, Pyra and Rex had officially started dating, a fact the girl made full use of. Convenient situations to touch him were no longer neccessary, their relationship being the only excuse she needed. Sporadic bursts of affection, hugs most common of all, had become more and more frequent with each passing day. At least Rex seemed to be more comfortable with her advances now, happily reciprocating every single time.

He noticed, of course. It was kind of hard not to. He wouldn't bring this up until today as the two of them sat under a large tree in Fonsett, enjoying how it shielded them from the hot afternoon sun. Mythra was with them just a minute ago, but was dragged away by the kids who had insisted that she join in on their games today.

"They certainly seemed eager," Pyra commented from Rex's side as she watched Mythra play a game with the children.

"Well, it's kind of Mythra's fault. She almost always sticks with us," Rex said with a small laugh. Mythra wasn't the most sociable person in the world to unfamiliar people, contrasting with Pyra who played with the young ones quite often. "They're still curious about her, even after all this time."

Pyra nodded. "This is good for her."

"I think it is."

When she saw Mythra getting dogpiled by the group of young Leftherians, the faint sound of the blonde haired girl's screams for help reaching her and Rex, Pyra giggled. Without thinking, she scooted closer to Rex. She snaked an arm around her driver, leaning her head against his.

"You really like hugs, huh?" Rex did his best to turn his head to look at his blade. She could see a hint of a smile out of the corner of her eye.

Pyra blushed, but didn't move just yet. "Not just hugs, but touching in general. Does it bother you?"

Rex wrapped an arm around her, gently nuzzling the side of his head against hers. He then gave his answer, voice soft and every bit as sweet as his personality, "Not at all."

That's when Pyra knew he loved it whenever they touched too.


End file.
